Last 7 Days is a series here on The Metronome that uses last.fm to chronicle the artists and albums that have made up the last week’s worth of listening for one of our staff members.
Bright Eyes
(59 plays)
Most people tend to pair up the type of sad, introspective music that Bright Eyes makes with winter, and generally speaking, so do I. But lyrics aside, Bright Eyes’ aesthetic really fits better with the warmer weather. As such, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning got a number of spins this week, flanked by Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground and Cassadaga, which I still think is one of Conor Oberst’s more enjoyable albums. At week’s end, I’m still not entirely sure which song is my favorite from that pile of albums: “Lua,” “First Day of My Life,” “Lover I Don’t Have to Love,” or “Don’t Know When But a Day Is Gonna Come.” This is what they call a welcome dilemma.
Perfume Genius
(27 plays)
You know everything I just said about heartfelt music being perfect for winter? Well, let me enter into evidence Perfume Genius’ most recent album — which we loved, by the way — Put Your Back N 2 It. From the first time I spun the new album I knew that I enjoyed it aurally, but it wasn’t until this week that I really honed in on the lyrics. Truth me told, they seemed a little less impressive than many of the reviews and comments I’d read had led me to believe. Still, it’s hard to dispute this album’s impact. Now it’s just a matter of whether or not it can survive the hot optimism of summer.
The Notorious B.I.G.
(24 plays)
Every time I hear “Hypnotize,” I’m reminded of Julia Stiles dancing drunkenly atop a table, eventually bashing her head on a light. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you’ve never watched TBS. Anyway, I listened to Life After Death this week. If you had internet access last Friday, you can assuredly figure out why. The man’s been dead for 15 years. How mind-boggling is that?
Lucero
(23 plays)
I’m not into beating dead horses.
M83
(22 plays)
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is the kind of album that brings light to the fallacy of what we do here (review albums, that is). When the album first came out in October of last year, we recommended it as a site. Most people were into it. I was too, but I didn’t feel like it was a record that had changed my life or even measured up to some of Anthony Gonzalez’s earlier stuff, for that matter. But listening to it this week, it seems like a record that’s really blossomed. October was chilly and wet, but this past week — as previously mentioned — was sunny and crisp, with temperatures nearing 80 degrees almost every day. The record took on a completely new life. Sure, there’s still some fat that could have been trimmed, but at least in my opinion, Hurry Up is a significantly better record now than it was six months ago. It serves as a reminder that when we react to an album abruptly after its release, we’re really just capturing an opinion at a moment in time, not declaring any eternal impressions. I wonder if Will Ryan is still comfortable with that 86% today.
Good Old War
(11 plays)
This band has been creating a bit of a stir lately — at least within the confines of our tiny, internet-driven indie rock universe. And I like their sound, which is some concatenation of OAR, Local Natives, and the tiniest bit of Mumford & Sons. But after just one run through their newest album, Come Back as Rain, I’m not quite sure that sound holds up against those contemporaries, at least in terms of memorability. I found myself getting lost in the tracklist; one song had faded into another and I hadn’t noticed because the formula stayed exactly the same. I plan to give another couple listens and, like I said, it is an enjoyable record. But we may want to pump the brakes on some of the hype that’s been brewing.
The Antlers
(10 plays)
What can I say about Hospice that hasn’t already been said? Well, other than that I may actually like Burst Apart more. Whatever credibility I had is shot, isn’t it?
Tame Impala
(10 plays)
I wish I didn’t forget about InnerSpeaker so easily. Tame Impala’s debut album, on which Kevin Parker nails his audition as a John Lennon vocal stand-in, remains one of my favorites from 2010. And in keeping with the theme of weather having an impression on listening habits — can you tell how ecstatic I am that winter has all but hit the bricks? — there may be no better record from 2010 that fits better with this season’s weather. But more on that in next month’s seasonal soundtrack.
